Honors Digest - Welcome Back Edition

Harbinger of fall, originally uploaded by Kodamakitty.

Hello Honors Students!

I apologize for not sending my usual "first day of classes" e-mail, but it's been fiendishly busy here in the brand new Irvin D. Reid Honors College. I hope your first week went well and that the new school year will be a successful and productive one. So grab the marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers - let's make some delicious Honors s'mores!

Liza

In today's academically scrumptious edition:
1. Appointments with Liza (and our affiliated UAC advisors, Ms. Bernas, Mr. Douglas and Ms. Gurney)
2. Honors Option proposals due Friday, September 19
3. Deadline to apply for December degree certification: September 26
4. Junior Year in Munich opportunity for Engineering students
5. About the Honors Peer Advisors


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1. Appointments with Liza (and our affiliated UAC advisors, Ms. Bernas, Mr. Douglas and Ms. Gurney)
I apologize for being way behind on announcing this, but due to my fall appointments being reserved exclusively for HON 1000 freshmen, we are pleased to announce a partnership with the University Advising Center (UAC). The UAC advisors will help answer your questions regarding the General Education requirements and for assistance with declaration of major and reviewing pre-professional requirements.

I have worked very closely with Ms. Kate Bernas (pre-med and general advising), Mr. Arnelle Douglas (Pre-Law and general advising) and Ms. Karen Gurney (University probation and general advising) since my first days as an academic advisor. I learned everything I know about University General Education requirements from these fine folks.

If you have a quick question or a question about Honors requirements, please stop by during my open hours on most Mondays between 9 - noon and 1 - 4. You may also e-mail me at honors@wayne.edu.

So here's how scheduling an appointment is (hopefully) going to work:
a) If you are in HON 1000, be sure to bring your Cultural Passport with you to 2100 UGL to schedule your appointment. I have a very limited number of appointments for exactly 336 students, so please be sure to keep your appointed time or you may not be able to reschedule until after all of the other students have scheduled their appointment.

b) For everyone else: stop by the Honors office or call (313) 577-3030 to schedule an appointment.
- You may be asked if you are a current freshmen and whether or not you have met with me before. Please answer truthfully!

- The Peer Advisor will schedule you for an appointment with one of the UAC advisors.

- You will be given a business card with your appointment time and date. If you schedule your appointment over the phone, please stop by the Honors office to pick up your appointment card. Bring the card with you to your appointment in case there are any discrepancies.

- Sign in for your appointment at the front counter in 1600 UGL. Bring your notes from our previous meetings and any questions you may have. The UAC advisors will not have access to our Honors files, so please come prepared. If you can, print off a copy of your Pipeline transcript to bring with you. Often times, you have all of the answers your need in your notes, but I understand wanting to double check with an advisor.

- If you declare your major and need a signature from me for University Honors, stop by my office during my open hours or ask one of the peer advisors to obtain my signature for you.


I will be available for general advising appointments during the winter and spring/summer semesters. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

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2. Honors Option proposals due Friday, September 19
Honors Option proposals are due to the Honors office by the end of the third week of classes which is this Friday, September 19. Also, if you are registered for HON 4990 (with Stuart May as the instructor of record) or HON 4998, you will need to submit the appropriate form to outline your project no later than September 30. Forms are available on www.honors.wayne.edu

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Honors Option, here's the general description:
Honors students with a 3.30 or better cumulative grade point average may discuss the addition of an assignment/project to earn Honors credit for any class taught at the 2000-level or above and taught by full-time faculty (lecturer, assistant professor, associate professor and professor). The form for the Honors Option is available at www.honors.wayne.edu. Students will be expected to submit the completed form, a copy of the course syllabus, and an outline of the proposed project with the appropriate signatures to the Honors office in 2100 Undergraduate Library no later than the end of the third week of classes. Students must complete the class and the additional assignment with a 'B' (3.00) or better in order to receive Honors credit and the Honors Option notation on the transcript.

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3. Deadline to apply for December degree certification: September 26
If you plan to complete all of the requirements for your degree in Fall 2008 and need to apply for degree certification, the deadline is Friday, September 26. The application is under the "Student" Tab in Pipeline and costs $40. There is no commencement ceremony in December - students graduating in December, May and August are invited to commencement in May. For more information, please see: http://commencements.wayne.edu/graduation.php

If you are planning on graduating with department and/or University Honors, please double check your Pipeline transcript to make sure your degree is noted properly. Contact me at honors@wayne.edu if it is not. Please note that you must have at least a 3.30 (3.50 for some majors) cumulative GPA to graduate with either departmental and/or University Honors.

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4. Junior Year in Munich opportunity for Engineering students
WSU's Junior Year in Munich is pleased to announce a new internship program in Germany for engineering students.
The program begins with an 8-week paid internship at ThyssenKrupp Steel in the industrial Ruhr region of northwestern Germany (Duisburg, Dortmund or Bochum), followed by a full semester of studies in Munich with the JYM program.

At the request of ThyssenKrupp Steel, this program has been designed specifically to attractstudents enrolled in dual-degree and/or certificate programs in Engineering and German. Three (3) semesters of college-level German or the equivalent are required. Details are posted on our website at http://www.jym.wayne.edu/thyssenkrupp_jym_internship_program.htm

The application deadline is Oct. 15, 2008; theprogram begins in January 2009.
This new internship program should be of special interest to WSU students enrolled in, or considering WSU's double-degree program German and Engineering (http://www.clas.wayne.edu/unit-inner.asp?WebPageID=1739).

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5. About the Honors Peer Advisors
You may see some new faces behind the counter in the Honors office - we have recently expanded our roster of Honors Peer Advisors. The Honors Peer Advisors staff our front counter, handle my appointments, assist with mass mailings, help maintain order of the Honors HQ Study Area, and represent Honors at various campus events.

Our Honors Peer Advisors:
Danica Aquino
Sean Bhalla
Michelle El-Hosni
Alexander Marinica
Phil McDonald
Chuck Munoz
Diane Ramsey
Shelly Thornton

You might also meet the following Peer Advisors from Community Engagement@Wayne:
Neil Erinjeri
Bianca Smith

We are very proud of our Honors Peer Advisors. Please be sure to say hello, and if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask!


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As much as possible we will do our best to keep these broadcasts to a minimum for announcements that are not directly through Honors, but that we feel are excellent opportunities for our students. If you have any ideas, questions, or items for the weekly Honors Digest, please e-mail us at honors@wayne.edu
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Irvin D. Reid Honors College
Wayne State University
2100 Adamany Undergraduate Library
(313) 577-3030
honors@wayne.edu
honors.wayne.edu